


Science Buddies

by ThatScottishShipper



Series: The Wonders of Alien Biology [6]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Awkwardness, Books, Family Fluff, Friendship, Gen, M/M, Prompt Fill, Science Bros, Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), Space Mom Keith (Voltron), dont post to another site
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-08
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 09:09:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21718123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatScottishShipper/pseuds/ThatScottishShipper
Summary: Sven wants a friend.Then he meets Slav.*Written for Fanfic Fortnight.*
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron), Slav & Sven (Voltron)
Series: The Wonders of Alien Biology [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1303238
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	Science Buddies

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SaraJaye](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraJaye/gifts).

Sven felt lonely.

As much as he loved his family, his doting parents and sweet sisters, he always wanted a new friend, especially to talk about his advanced theories with. Pidge, like Sven’s parents, were sometimes busy with Paladin duties (or her own technological hubris,) and even Hunk needed wind down time sometimes.

He sat in his bedroom, surrounded by countless scientific textbooks with no one to share them with. He wanted to show Mom and Dad when they returned from their respective missions, but they would most likely be exhausted.

And in need of company, since they were on separate missions.

Sven scrunched his face, much like his sisters did. He loved his parents dearly, but they were perhaps a little too overenthusiastic with their love for one another.

_ ‘Beats being at each other’s throats,’  _ Sven thought, clutching a book about stars and constellations to his chest.  _ ‘And I do miss them too.’ _

And maybe, just maybe, he was a little sore he never got to come along to help repair the Teleduv technology that broke down. Again.

Before Sven returned to his books about the infinite clusters of stars and paths leading from one cosmos to another, Coran’s screeching voice erupted on the ship’s tannoy.

“They’re back!”

xxx

Sven doddled down the hallway, with Calypso and Athena in toe, who were equally as excited to see  _ who _ exactly came back.

_ ‘He might have been a bit more precise,’ _ Sven sighed to himself, carrying his little sister on his shoulders. A hopeful flicker spiked in his heart.  _ ‘Maybe Mom and Dad are both back?’ _

Calypso bounced ahead, running ahead to greet her family enthusiastically. Like a shot, She was gone, vanishing around the corner, with a big smile on her face.

Sven tried not to frown, for Athena’s sake, but with all the dangers out there, and his parents as Paladins, it was hard not to.

“They’ll be alright,” he told his restless sister, but he knew the words were just as much for his own peace of mind. “I know they are.”

xxx

Before Sven even reached the Bridge, little Athena whimpered, squirming uncomfortably on Sven’s shoulders.

His little sister, taking greatly after her Mother’s Galra blood, perceived heightened emotions and feelings around her with startling accuracy. As Sven struggled with social situations, only understanding them on a superficial level, he appreciated Athena’s talent, with Dad calling her  _ ‘his little mood ring.’ _

Whatever was happening behind that closed door was enough to set off her keen senses. Even Calypso, who had been so excited to greet her parents, lingered at the door, shifting from foot to foot.

And when the Bridge opened itself to the children, Sven found out why.

Dad was indeed there, along with Lance, Pidge, Allura, and Coran, but there was something…  _ off _ about him. He was loud, very loud by Sven’s sensitive ears, and he was burning hot red.

Mom wasn’t around, which was likely why Dad was so angry, pacing back and forth, ranting about a… Slav?

Sven cocked his head.  _ ‘What’s a Slav?’ _

Allura placed a calming hand on his shoulder, trying to ease whatever was bothering Dad, but Shiro was having none of it.

“If he says  _ one more thing  _ about another reality,  _ I’ll- _ ”

“An alternate reality?”

Finally, Shiro turned to find his three children staring at him, but especially Sven with invested interest. He grew hot with embarrassment, then shame at having lost his temper in front of his kids.

Shiro saw little Athena’s discomfort, and felt  _ terrible _ . He carefully walked over to them, separating his earlier anger from the love he had for his family. Shiro smiled, kneeling down, and opening his arms, which they happily fell into.

“Hey, kids,” Shiro sighed contently, the rage leaving him because he was  _ home _ . “I missed you.”

“We missed you too, Dad,” Calypso chirped, clinging to her father’s arm.

The Paladin ruffled her hair in return, then furrowed his brow. “Sorry you had to see that. Dad shouldn’t have lost his temper like that.”

From the sidelines, Pidge piped in. “It’s been a long day for Pop here.”

Shiro shot her a playful glance. “Please don’t call me that.”

Lance sighed, taking the turn to shoulder Shiro’s tempered burden with a small nudge. “Go see your kids, Shiro. We’ll take Slav to…”

Then Sven’s vision trailed past them all, drawn to the wiggling movement akin to a giant snake in a tight navy blue turtleneck. An animated beaked creature with many arms screeched, causing the teenager to flinch.

He  _ hated _ loud noises.

He held his hands over his ears, trying to retrain his attention on the strange being he had never seen before, not in any of his books.

_ ‘Is that Slav? Does he know something about alternate realities?’ _

Something in Sven’s dark eyes sparkled with curiosity, and just before he mustered the courage to talk to Slav, he was disturbed by Shiro speeding past them towards the door.

Towards Keith, who stood with Hunk.

“Keith!” Shiro called out, mere seconds before colliding into a hug with his husband, showering him with kisses. He trusted Keith wholeheartedly on missions, but as a loving husband, it was hard not to worry when his soulmate was away from him.

“Hey there, Space Ace,” Keith sighed blissfully, wrapping his arms around his husband’s strong shoulders. “Everything alright?” Lovestruck eyes held onto Shiro, but trailed behind him, softening at the sight of his children.

With a gentle smile and a gesture of the hand, Calypso and Athena went running, with Sven following behind. The hug was just as intense, and Keith’s chest trembled with emotion.

He felt  _ home _ .

And Sven was relieved, knowing everything worked out, and his parents were back safe and sound.

But his stare kept returning to the one called Slav.

xxx

“Hey.”

Completely ignoring Sven, Slav obsessively tore into the mechanical workings of the Castle of Lions, determined to fix whatever technological hiccup the warp system was having.

The teenager tried again. “...I’m Sven.”

“I know,” Slav retorted plainly, surprising Sven. “We’ve met in many alternate realities. But you won’t know that.”

Curiosity got the better of Sven. “Then how do you know?”

Narrowing his ruby eyes, Slav tapped the side of his beak without a word, and Sven sat down beside him, hungry to know more.

To Sven, all the unsolved mysteries of the universe seemed untapped inside the mysterious creature’s mind. He wanted to know this being, learn his secrets about the bountiful galaxy, from alternate universes and unseen corners of the cosmos.

He cleared his throat, readying himself to ask another question, when suddenly, the bibled book was snatched right from his arms.

His encyclopaedic book of stars and constellations, a personal treasure torn from his hands.

Sven panicked, bereft of his coveted item. “Give it back!”

Three hands held him back with surprising strength, Slav’s other arms flicking through the hardback book with startling speed. Once Sven realised this, he stopped fighting.

Listening to the creature mutter intriguingly to himself with every page turned, Sven truly felt he was in the presence of an intellectual peer. Whatever Slav saw  _ interesting _ and  _ fascinating _ , it must have been of great importance.

“What are you looking for?” Sven asked, clutching his hands together anxiously.

The response was immediate. “A path to the stars. Increasing the accuracy and navigation of warp technology.” For a fraction of a second, Slav paused, amused by the assistance of this young man. “You’re useful, just as I knew you’d be.”

And then he speed read his way through the entire thing, storing every important piece of information into his brain. Sven was enraptured by this creature, and had no idea why his father was so annoyed by him.

When Slav finished, he tossed the book back into Sven’s flimsy hands, and he recommenced tinkering with the technology of the ship. But not before handing the teenager one last thing.

A pair of protection goggles, fit for engaging in delicate mechanical work where many electrical sparks were sure to fly. Sven’s eyes widened in delight.

“Care to give me a hand?”

Without a doubt, Sven crawled on his knees towards the exposed panel, revealing sensitive wiring, and countless buttons waiting to be pressed. He took the eyewear, slapped them on, and grinned.

“I’m ready!”

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Fanfic Fortnight as a request, the prompt being for teen Sven buddying up with Slav. This is a part of The Wonders of Alien Biology series where Keith and Shiro have children and it’s very wholesome.
> 
> Sven meeting Slav pretty much took the same beats as his introduction in the canon show where Slav is rescued and causes Shiro much hardship, while Keith is away with Hunk, on a separate mission, but it’s all for the Teleduv again.
> 
> I wrote Sven as a very well read teenager with a keen interest in science and the world around him, but he finds social situations difficult. But he does desire a friend to bond with over shared interests (though he does love his family!) And he finds a kinship in Slav.
> 
> Thank you very much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. 💚


End file.
